Who owns the software or website a contractor builds for me?

General information from Lawmateanz

In New Zealand, ownership of software, websites and other code depends on copyright law and your contract. Without a clear written agreement, the developer may keep ownership of some or all of what they create, even if you've paid for it.

Put a written agreement in place before work starts that says who owns the intellectual property, and whether you get a licence to any existing tools or code the developer reuses.

Make sure you'll have access to the source code, logins, domain names and hosting accounts.

A technology lawyer can draft or review a development agreement.

Written by Lawmateanz, not by a lawyer. General information only, not legal advice about your situation. For advice about your own matter, talk to a lawyer.

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General information only. Answers are written by independent lawyers based only on what's in the question. They aren't legal advice about your situation and don't create a lawyer–client relationship. For advice about your own matter, talk to a lawyer directly.